The effects of secondhand smoke can persist for generations

Meanwhile, research published in Frontiers in Immunology in 2020 discovered that smoking and/or being exposed to second-hand smoke during pregnancy can have long-term consequences.

According to the findings, the dangers of secondhand smoking are more widespread than previously thought, harming even the progeny of any fetus who has been exposed.

“Exposure to secondhand cigarette smoke during pregnancy has long-term consequences,”– said Hitendra Chand, a biomedical expert at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.

The study was conducted on lab animals by experts from the Chand lab and the Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, who were astonished to observe negative effects in second-generation animals who had never been subjected to smoking.

“We discovered a smoking-related deficiency in the enzymes that create hydrogen sulfide, a critical signal transmitter that aids organ development,” – Chand explained.

“And the cigarette-induced enzyme deficiency was passed down to second-generation [grandchildren] animals.”

The experts went on to say that these enzymes could be used as a biomarker for predicting asthma risk in children in the future. Furthermore, these findings have important implications for increasing public awareness about the dangers of smoking.

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